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April 2nd, 2003 at 2:34 pm

footprints in time

Posted in: General

Each month I write up a little column in the newsletter at work entitled ‘History in the News’. Basically it’s just a summary of history-related articles which have appeared in the major newspapers over the last month or so.
The Australian (13/03/03) included an article which told how a team of paleontologists in Italy had uncovered a set of fossil footprints showing a man out for a walk with a dog – more than 300,000 years ago!! The footprints were left in cooling lava after an eruption from Mt Roccamonfina in southern Italy. They say it provides evidence that humans and dogs have been ‘keeping company’ since the earliest days of both species. While the scientific significance of the footprints has only just been revealed, locals had known of the footprints for years – calling them “ciampata del Diavolo” (footprints of the Devil) in the local dialect.
How interesting is that?
Tonight when I take my Maisie for a walk we will have to find some wet concrete (in lieu of cooling lava and as opposed to the usual mud) to ensure our daily activity is enshrined in the annals of history!

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